Obama lifts drilling ban imposed after BP disaster

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President Obama inspects tar on a Louisiana beach. His popularity has been hit by his administration's reaction to the BP disasterJim Watson AFP/Getty Images

Catherine PhilpWashington

Last updated at 11:34PM, October 12 2010

The Obama Administration yesterday lifted a moratorium on deep-water drilling
imposed after the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, six weeks before the bitterly
contested suspension was due to expire.

The announcement came as Democrats gear up for a tough battle in midterm
elections next month. Their task has been made harder by President Obama’s
diving popularity and his perceived failure to protect American jobs from
the recession.

Ken Salazar, the Interior Secretary, said that the Administration had drawn up
a stringent new list of safety requirements to which oil companies would
have to adhere, but that drilling in the Gulf